In telecommunications networks that support mobile subscribers, there is a need to know or determine the current location of mobile subscribers so that communications, such a short message service (SMS) messages, may be directed to those mobile subscribers. In mobile telephone networks, there are network entities that are responsible for storing and managing the mobile subscriber location information. In third-generation (3G) and long term evolution (LTE) telecommunications networks, the home subscriber server (HSS) is responsible for managing this type of information. The HSS may also be configured to receive queries for the current location information of a particular mobile subscriber and reply to the queries with the last known location of the mobile subscriber. The location may be provided in the form of the network address or identifier of network entity, such as a mobile switching center (MSC) or mobility management entity (MME), that is currently serving the mobile subscriber.
On occasion, an SMS message may be communicated to a mobile subscriber via an LTE access network and an evolved packet system (EPS). In such instances, standards such as 3GPP TS 23.272 and 3GPP TS 29.338 define Diameter based protocols that may be used by SMS-capable MMEs that handle the communication of an SMS. However, these existing standards currently do not define the manner in which an LTE network may route an SMS message if a recipient mobile subscriber has ported out of network. Specifically, there is no definable means described in the standards to properly forward a mobile subscriber location information request message to the correct HSS if the recipient mobile subscriber has been ported to a foreign network.
Accordingly, in light of these potential disadvantages, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing a Diameter proxy agent to communicate SMS messages.